Yankees sign Logan Morrison to minor-league deal

The New York Yankees signed first baseman Logan Morrison to a minor-league contract, the team announced Friday.

Morrison has an opt-out date of July 1 and will earn $1 million if he cracks the Yankees' major-league roster, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The 31-year-old struggled mightily at the dish in 2018 with the Minnesota Twins, but he enjoyed a career season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017. That year he slashed .246/.353/.516 with 38 home runs and 85 RBIs in 149 games.

Morrison has some history with the Yankees and their fans. In his big year with Tampa, he was upset when catcher Gary Sanchez was selected for the Home Run Derby instead of him.

"Gary shouldn't be there," Morrison said, according to Mike Berardino of The Pioneer Press. "Gary's a great player, but he shouldn't be in the Home Run Derby."

This didn't go over well in New York, and he was jeered upon his return to Yankee Stadium. When asked about it again a year later, Morrison didn't hold back.

"They didn't like the Gary Sanchez thing with the Home Run Derby," Morrison said, "but you can't fix stupid, you know?"

Sanchez hit 33 home runs in 2017, the most among major-league catchers.

The Yankees have been decimated by injuries in the early weeks of the season and recently placed first baseman Greg Bird on the injured list.

Even before his injury, Bird struggled at the plate, hitting .171/.293/.257. Fellow first baseman Luke Voit has fared better, batting .219/.342/.438 with four home runs and a team-leading 15 RBIs in 18 games.